Mike Pontillo	Archive

What kind of riding do you do?

I mostly use my bike to commute to work. When I take the back way, I travel two miles in each direction. It’s longer if I use surface streets. I usually don’t ride on the weekend, as my wife, my dog and I take longer trips, and it isn’t usually practical to use bikes. (Also, there is also a grocery store within walking distance from my home, which is nice.)

Do you remember when you learned how to ride a bike?

Yes. I was in first grade, and as soon as I had mastered it, I rode to school. While I was learning to ride my bike I remember having what I thought at the time was a catastrophic accident... I rode too close to our neighbor’s parked car and scraped a whole bunch of paint off with my handlebar. I think it cost a couple of hundred bucks for my dad to find that obscure paint and get it fixed…

So did you ride your bike throughout your school time?

Yes, through Elementary and Middle School. But when I was still in High School California passed a law where anybody under 18 was required to wear a helmet. For me as a teenager that was too inconvenient. I tried walking, but it was too far, so I would get rides from others and eventually drive myself – which was pretty depressing to me, but I felt that I had no choice.

I seem to remember the helmet law being in effect around1994; it could have been earlier. I may have broken the law for a while in protest, but eventually I got a ticket. I can’t remember if it was for riding on the wrong side of the road (on the sidewalk), or for not wearing a helmet. It might have been both.

This was in Rocklin, and I was attending Spring View Middle School. The kids biking home who had to make a left turn from 5^th street onto Midas Avenue would have to cross the street two additional times if they didn’t ride on the sidewalk or on the wrong side of the street. So obviously, no one crossed the street any extra times… and for a few days there was a police officer waiting for us, rounding us up and giving us tickets. So I got my first traffic violation at the age of 12 or 13!

Did you ever have bike education in school?

Not that I remember, although there may have been some limited instructions about the rules of the road. Generally, I try to use common sense when I ride. I try to make eye contact with drivers to make sure they see me, and I point in the direction I want to go. I think signaling with your left arm to make a right hand turn may be misinterpreted, and sometimes I have trouble remembering the correct signal myself.

Do you ride in the winter?

Yes; I actually prefer to, because I’d rather be cold than hot. The only problem is that sometimes on very rainy days part of the commute contains an unpaved section. It seems silly for my short commute to have an extra pair of clothing, so I just try to stay as clean as possible. But on extremely rainy, muddy days, I may just drive my car. If there were a paved path between Woodcreek Oaks and the backside of hp or at least Foothills Blvd, I would ride to work more often. Actually, I wouldn’t mind riding on Blue Oaks if it were safe. Right now I don’t; I think the bike lane is too narrow and often has debris on it. Also, I have a problem with the Blue Oaks and Foothills intersection; the visibility is bad when you’re crossing the crosswalk because of the way it’s angled. Otherwise, I would probably just get off my bike and use the crosswalk. (As of now, there seems to be a pretty good bike lane on the north side of Blue Oaks, but the south side is still lacking, and there is still landscape work happening on the north side.)

How do you see biking in the future?

I think in the future it will be a necessity. All you have to do is look at supply and demand… as the economic reality of long-term high oil prices sinks in, more people may seek alternatives to driving. It’s only a matter of time…

Did you find BikingRoseville useful?

Yes, to a certain extent. I am more of a lurker than an active participant, but at a minimum I try to read the messages and try to keep up with what is going on. I think it’s great to have a biking community, or “lobby” so to speak, in Roseville. It gives me hope for the future.

What would be your top two priorities if you could fix something in Roseville?

My number one priority would be to extend the off-street paths that actually connect to something. Right now we have a fair amount of off-street paths that seem to be designed for recreational bicyclists rather than commuting or actually getting somewhere on your bike. Many are fairly short and they take you places that you ordinarily wouldn’t go if you are trying to accomplish something. I think bike paths should serve more as a dual purpose. An analogy would be to have a dedicated system comparable to the interstate highway system for cars.

I also think we need safer paths through less trafficked neighborhoods. No number of bike safety courses will stop me from being nervous while I’m riding down a road where there is traffic going 55 to 60 miles per hour. There is always the chance someone isn’t paying attention and will veer right into your bike. I’d rather eliminate this possibility than take the risk.

Do you see some advantages of bicycle riding over car driving in terms of dangers?

Bicyclists do have an advantage by being able to better hear and see than motorists. (The new hybrid electric cars are difficult to hear, though!) It’s nice not to have a car frame is restricting your view.

Maneuverability is another one. It is easier for a bicyclist to get out of a dangerous situation than for a car driver. This has probably saved my a few times. =)